Sourdough

My starter and my discard. The discard is now my second starter, and I handed it off to a friend. I’ve been baking bread for a year now and it has been such a great ride of experimentation!

This is my most favorite bread book. It has easy to follow visual instructions on dough

Here’s the inside of my fruit and nut bread from this book. It is incredibly delicious cooked in the toaster and slathered with butter!

This is my first loaf in three months, since I can now lift the Dutch oven. This was such a delicious loaf of sourdough bread, made from the above cookbook. I am a happy baker!

I think I might be a bread snob

I bought this cookbook for myself because I love their bread flour. I used one of their sourdough recipes to make my most recent loaf. I think I am becoming a bread snob. No more store bought bread for me

This is the first loaf in five months where you can see the designs that I carved on the top before baking

This loaf got great height. 

And here is how it looks on the inside. Holey. It has a bit of wheat flour in it to give it a sweet taste. I think I like adding Spelt Flour more.

I just learned from a Sourdough Facebook group that you can make your own wild yeast. These are sliced apples in water. It takes a couple of weeks to create. This is after one week. I might try it out next weekend

Sourdough Bread Baking

One of my sons gave me some sourdough starter around Christmas, and I have been experimenting ever since with a variety of recipes and cooking methods. 

Basic Recipe

Take starter out of frig and let it come to room temperature with the lid on. I usually plan for about 3 hours.

In a mixing bowl for my Kitchen Aid mixer add:

3 cups King Arthur Bread flour

1 cup of starter

1-1/4 t to 1T salt and 3/4 t regular yeast - dissolve in 1-1/2 cups of purified water (use about a cup to start, then add more if needed) 

Using the bread hook, mix dough, taking time to scrape sides and get it all mixed with no apparent lumps

It will be wet. Put it on a floured surface and fold the sides into each other using a pastry scraper and not your hands. Use more sprinklings of flour to keep the dough from sticking to everything.

Feed the starter with flour and water, mix and put it back in the frig. 

Put some olive oil on a paper towel and wipe the inside of a large glass bowl. Add the dough. Cover with a towel and let it rise for 6 hours in the warmest spot in your kitchen

Preheat the oven at 450. 

Empty the dough out on a floured surface, and do a few more folds with the scraper. Oil the bowl again and insert the dough. Cover for an hour.

Dutch Oven. Make sure it’s oiled and ready to go

Turn out the dough and using the scraper, form a nice ball. Place on the lid, score the top with a sharp knife or razor blade, and cover it with the based on the container.

Bake covered for 30 min, and 15 min without the cover

I have done variations on this recipe. I used lemon rosemary salt and chopped rosemary. I have left out the extra yeast, made flat bread, cooked on a pizza stone. Every week, I try something new to add. I am enjoying the process and especially having for toast with my breakfast!

This is my latest loaf using 2 cups KAF, 1 cup Spelt and 1 cup starter. I love the holes!

Grandma’s Ice Cream

Every year when I was growing up, my grandma made homemade ice cream for the 4th of July. We all took turns cranking the ice cream freezer. It was such a special and memorable time in our lives to gather as a family, swim and have a BBQ. For the last 31 years we have been carrying on her tradition by having a large family gathering at our house, complete with swimming, chatting, BBQ and homemade ice cream and desserts. My daughter and I have certainly risen to the challenge with desserts and ice cream. My sister when she still lived nearby made this recipe in a similar freezer. I took it on later with my electric Cuisinart machine. This makes the best vanilla ice cream and can be a base for other flavors. It makes about 3 quarts.

6 eggs beaten

2-1/2 cups sugar

1 can of Evaporated Milk

1/2 t salt

3 t Vanilla Extract

1 t Lemon Extract

2 qts of Heavy Whipping Cream (for the Cuisinart), and if you have the traditional ice cream freezer, use Half n’Half

Mix it well to make sure the sugar is completely mixed in before pouring it into the ice cream maker. I do mine in stages and have two containers that I keep in the freezer so I can make a big batch right after one another and I don’t have to wait for the tubs to re-freeze.

I like to make variations like fresh peach (you can use jam too), lemon basil, just made lemon mint, but I think it needs peppermint extract to really make it zing. I store my ice cream in all kinds of containers, but my fav is Tovolo ice cream tubs (in picture) which are bpa free a white container and a pink lid. I use washi tape on the outside for labeling the flavor. For small amounts, I use reuse Talenti jars. I want to make cherry chocolate chip in the next round.

 Enjoy! 

A Savory Polenta Pie

This is one of my favorite dishes to make. I start with pre-made Polenta from Trader Joes. It comes in a tube sausage looking thing. I slice it up and cook it in the microwave with a little bit of water to soften it up. About 2 min. Then I mash it into the pie pan with a buttered spatula

Bacon is a fab ingredient and makes everything just taste better. This also has a bit of sweet onion, and Shiitake mushrooms

I pre-cooked the broccoli and Brussels sprouts. The butternut squash, sweet potatoes and wild rice where cooked the previous day for lunch. Leftover veggies are great for this dish

And for some more deliciousness, I added Havarti cheese to the bottom of the pie

and some to the top. Baked at 350 degrees for about 25 minutes. It's an easy one dish meal!

Meal Planning 101

As I begin my week, I start by making a grocery list, based on my meal planning.  I may switch some things around by the time the day rolls around, but this is basically what I do. It helps me stay organized, since I have a busy life.

Saturday
Steak, baked potato, spinach, mushrooms and onions

Sunday
Lamb loin chops, twice baked potato and baby broccoli 

Monday
Chicken Noodle Soup with veggies, sourdough toast

Tuesday
Salmon, veggie slaw salad

Wednesday
perhaps something from Trader Joe's

Thursday
Ham steak, baked beans

Friday
Pizza

Twice-Baked squash with crispy za'atar roasted chickpeas

This post really made me happy because I'm always looking for new ways to use za'atar in my cooking.  My daughter gave me a container of this spice after visiting Nopi, Yotam Ottolenghi's fabulous restaurant in London.  I was gifted his first cookbook the same year and I refer to it and cook from it often.  Last fall, my husband and I found ourselves in London and I grabbed a reservation at upstairs Nopi.  It was an unforgettable meal.  The following recipe reminds me of his food which is why I am excited about  sharing it and I can't wait to make this myself!

I'm celebrating Thanksgiving with my family in Iowa this year; we usually travel up to be with my husband's extended family.  It makes cooking a bit more challenging, to be sure.  I'll have a few of these items on my grocery list when we shop in Des Moines after landing and prior to driving north to my husband's small hometown.

I subscribe to What's Cooking Good Looking's site and suggest you do it, too.  There is a wealth of info and the posts are beautifully photographed, as witnessed here....

WHATS COOKING GOOD LOOKING

twice baked delicata squash + crispy za'atar roasted chickpeas 

twice baked delicata squash + crispy za'atar roasted chickpeas

The skin of the delicata squash is edible (and really tasty) making it the perfect vehicle for twice baking and topping with these super flavorful za'atar roasted chickpeas. The tahini drizzle is optional, but highly recommended. This dish would make a great holiday side dish, but also works great as a filling veggie main. 


MAKES | 5-6 stuffed squashes

INGREDIENTS

3 medium sized delicata squashes
a couple tablespoons of olive oil
salt + pepper

for the mashed squash insides:
2 tablespoons of butter, ghee or olive oil
1/4 teaspoon of sea salt
pepper

for the za'atar chickpeas:
1 tablespoon of za'atar
3 tablespoons of sunflower (or another neutral oil)
1 can of chickpeas, drained

for the (optional) tahini drizzle:
1/4 cup of tahini
3 tablespoons of water
the juice of 1/2 a lemon
1/4 teaspoon of salt
pepper

METHOD

Roast the squash

• Pre-heat the oven to 400º
• Place the squashes onto a baking sheet, rub all over with the olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Roast for 30-40 minutes until the outer skin is very tender. Remove, and allow to cool. 

Roast the chickpeas:

• While the squash is roasting, prep the chickpeas. Wish together the za'atar and the oil. Place the chickpeas onto a baking sheet, and toss with the za'atar oil. Roast for 15 minutes, until the chickpeas are crispy. Set aside until you're ready to assemble. 

Make the tahini drizzle (if using):

• In a small bowl, whisk together all of the ingredient for the tahini drizzle. Set aside until you're ready to serve. 

Scoop and re-stuff the squash, assemble, and serve:

• Once the squash is cool enough to handle, cut it down the center lengthwise, and then carefully scoop out the seeds and discard (or save if you have a good use for them). Then, carefully scoop out the insides (leaving the skins in tact), place them into a mixing bowl, and add the butter (or oil), salt and pepper. Mash, and mix it all together using the back of a fork. 
• Transfer the mashed squash back to the skins. I found that I did not quite have enough squash for all six skins, so I did not stuff the last one (and just cut up and ate the skin on it's own).
• Distribute the chickpeas over top of the stuffed squashes. Return to the oven for another 5-10 minutes to re-heat and crisp the top. 
• Remove, and finish with the tahini drizzle and serve immediately. 

SaveSave